The present invention relates to vehicle occupant protection systems or other safety systems employing gas generators to actuate an inflatable cushion for example. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,035,757, 5,872,329, 6,074,502, 6,210,505, 6,287,400, 7,959,749, 6,189,927, 5,062,367, and 5,308,588 exemplify known pyrotechnic gas generating compositions and/or known gas generators and their operating environments, whereby each patent is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The pyrotechnic means typically include an initiator or igniter, and a gas generating composition ignitable by the igniter once the actuator is activated. The use of a booster composition, in addition to a gas generating composition, provides an environment for efficient combustion of the gas generating composition. Namely, the booster composition typically provides an increase in pressure and an increase in heat thereby providing conditions desirable for optimum combustion of the gas generating composition. Accordingly, high heat from the booster composition facilitates efficient combustion of the gas generant composition even at lower relative pressures and cooler temperature.
Certain booster compositions incorporate boron potassium nitrate or BKNO3. One concern with some compounds containing elemental boron is the impact and/or friction sensitivity of the respective composition containing the elemental boron. It would therefore be an improvement in the art to develop an ignition and/or booster compound and/or composition that does not have the impact and friction sensitivity concerns of known booster compositions, thereby improving shipping, handling and processing concerns of the booster composition during the manufacturing of an associated inflator or gas generator for example.